The Benefits of Using Pinterest for Business

In just over 5 years, Pinterest has quickly grown to become one of the world’s largest social media platforms; the network is now ranked fourth, sitting behind social giants Facebook and Twitter, and a couple million subscribers behind LinkedIn. But – I bet your business isn’t on it. In fact, often overlooked as a social media platform for women searching for cooking recipes and wedding inspiration, many brands are still reluctant to consider the network as a marketing tool. But it’s time to re-consider! Below, our digital marketing agency has listed the top 4 benefits of using Pinterest for your business, along with a couple of tips to get you started.

1. Ideal for Showcasing Your Products or Services

Due to its emphasis on visuals, Pinterest is a great platform for showcasing your brand’s products or services. Use this to your advantage by creating boards that highlight your different product categories and your business portfolio. If your business is a service, pin images of your facilities to take followers on a virtual tour of your business. Notably, the social network is not limited to images, as you can also pin videos to your boards. Of course, make sure the images and videos you pin are of high quality and are the right dimensions; a blurry thumbnail image isn’t going to attract anyone’s attention.

2. Generates Traffic to Your Site

Pinterest is a great source of back links for your website. Notably, whenever you pin an image, a link is automatically included back to the source of the image; this makes it simple for brands to link their images back to their website or blog. Notably, Pinterest is one of the most efficient social networks at generating traffic to your website.

And the best part? The majority of the work is done for you by other users; it’s estimated that 80% of pins on Pinterest are re-pins. That means that every time your pin is re-pinned or liked, additional inbound links to your website are created. Having reputable inbound links is a big benefit for SEO as it demonstrates your credibility to Google and results in a better ranking for your site.

Tip: be sure to include “Pin It” buttons on the images on your Website or blog to incite visitors to pin your content to their boards easily themselves.

3. Great for Brand Visibility

Pinterest makes it simple to reach your target market and build your audience. Notably, users are able to search content by category, which helps users who are interested in your business category come across your brand. As mentioned above, the key to generating traffic on Pinterest is getting your images pinned by other Pinterest users. Re-pins spread the word and increase the visibility of your pin and of your business; this generates an increase your brand’s reach and helps organically grow your audience within your target market.

4. Build Your Corporate Identity

Notably, like all social networks, the content you pin on Pinterest shouldn’t be exclusively brand focused; followers don’t just want to learn about your products, they want to get to know the personality behind the brand. Create pin boards relating to your business, trade, industry, and events that you participate in. For example, if your Pinterest account is for a spa, on top of pinning images of your services and facilities, create boards about wellness and health that promote your brand’s personality and values. Use Pinterest to create a lifestyle for your brand that customers can relate to.

So what do you think? Is Pinterest right for your business? Of course, as with all social media marketing endeavors, if you want to reap the benefits of the platform, you need to know how to properly use the medium for your business. Our Montreal web designteam will leave you with a couple of tips to help make the most of your new Pinterest account:

Be sure to have a complete and optimised “About” section; include keywords in your description and include a link to your website.

Embrace the re-pin! Social media is about interaction; if you re-pin them, maybe they’ll re-pin you!

Monitor your pins: always respond to any comments or questions on your pins.
Name your images strategically: use descriptive file names and alt text to optimise your pins for SEO.

Prepare your website or blog for pinning! “Pin It” and “Follow Me” buttons are a must!

Be a follower! Follow users and boards that relate to your field. Connecting with relevant users will help you build a community around your industry and (hopefully!) your brand.

Once is not enough: regularly remind clients and followers that you are on Pinterest by sharing it on your social profiles, blog posts, email signature, etc.

Happy pinning! Oh, and while you’re at it, don’t forget to check out our WSI Montreal Pinterest profile! We have pinned many infographics, articles, and blog posts that offer a wealth of information about online marketing, including social media, SEO, and blogging.